MLB: Rays give Yanks problems

As bad as the Tampa Bay Rays have been in recent years, they’ve always saved their best games for the New York Yankees.

The Rays and Yanks conclude their four-game set Monday at Yankee Stadium with the two teams squaring off on ESPN2 beginning at 7 pm ET.

Stay up to date on Major League Baseball action at Sportsbook.com all year long as we offer the best odds and props every day. Before making your bet, get all the information you need on every game with our betting trends and team statistics.

Tampa Bay is scheduled to send youngster Matt Garza to the hill for Monday’s game. The 24 year-old Garza went 5 1/3 innings and gave up five earned runs against the Baltimore Orioles in his 2008 debut. The Rays lost the game 9-6 but Garza was not booked for the loss.

As a starter last season, the right-hander went 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA in 15 starts.

Coming to Tampa from Minnesota in the offseason, Garza faced the Yankees in a relief role last July. In two innings of work at Yankee Stadium, he gave up two hits but didn’t surrender a run as he struck out one batter.

He also pitched 4 2/3 innings at Yankee Stadium as a rookie in 2006, giving up seven hits and five earned runs as he took the loss. Previous work at ‘The Cathedral of Baseball’, while limited, may help keep the youngsters’ nerves in check as he gets set to pitch against some of baseball’s best.

Garza will be backed up by an offense that should be able to cause problems for opposing pitchers this season. Tampa’s offense was ranked in the middle of the pack last season as they scored 782 runs.

Young, talented outfielders Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton are another year older, and if Carlos Pena, who hit 48 homers last season, can match last year’s production, the offense in Tampa should be able to hold its own if they can get solid pitching.

New York is expected to send Mike Mussina to the mound for this game. The loser of a 5-2 decision to the Toronto Blue Jays last week, ‘Moose’was tagged for eight hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings.

The aging veteran, now in the 18th year of his career, is trying to bounce back from a 2007 season that saw him post a 5.15 ERA, the highest of his career. And, with just 11 wins last season, he tied the lowest win total of his career, not including a rookie season in which he went 4-5 in just 12 starts.

Offensively, Mussina should get plenty of support and the Yanks should be hefty favorites for this matchup.

Click here for the latest MLB odds.

Online Sports Betting at Sportsbook